The Woods in Your Backyard: Learning to Create and Enhance Natural Areas Around Your Home

From the Introduction of this 138 page boo: "This manual promotes stewardship of small parcels of land for the personal enjoyment of the owners and improved environmental quality for society.If you have 1-10 acres of land in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region that is forested or has unmowed natural areas, this manual is for you. It is also for you if you have a mowed lawn area that you want to turn into a forest. One of the most effective ways you can improve water and air quality, wildlife habitat, and natural area health is by shifting areas of lawn into unmowed natural areas or forests. Over a period of years this will reduce the time you spend mowing your lawn and give you more time to enjoy your family, property, and other hobbies. This manual will teach you how to do this. An overview of the contents of this manual is: learn why you should manage your land; map your land and assess why you bought the land and what you hope to get out of it; understand how your land relates to the land around you; identify land management units on your property; learn basics of tree identification, forestry, and wildlife habitat management; assess your property's water resources, recreational possibilities, and aesthetic appeal, and ways to improve each; choose a few land management projects to help meet your goals; and set a timetable and mark progress." Along with the descriptive text this book contains many photos, maps and diagrams.